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Project Aims to Bring 'Internet of Things' to Agriculture

EU - The Internet of Food & Farm 2020 (IoF2020) project started on 1 January, and will investigate a large-scale implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) in the European farming and food sector.

With a €30 million budget co-funded by the European Union, the project has the potential to bring a paradigm shift in this domain by drastically improving productivity and sustainability.

It will demonstrate the added value of smart webs of connected objects, that are context-sensitive and can be identified, sensed and controlled remotely in the agri-food sector. The project has started on January 1st 2017 and will run for four years.

Focusing on 19 use cases spread throughout Europe, the project provides solutions to 5 agri-food areas: arable farming, dairy, meat, vegetables and fruits, taking into account their own needs and obstacles. IoT can, for example, be used to optimise the quality of EU meat while minimising possibilities for fraud by enhancing its transparency and traceability.

George Beers, Project Manager at the Wageningen University & Research and IoF2020 Project Coordinator, said: "IoF2020 does not only bring IoT in the food and farm sector. It stands also for the objective of delivering technologies that fit the needs of the entire value chain and end-users, strengthening them for the challenges ahead.

"Together with our 70 partners we believe IoF2020 has the potential to bring a paradigm shift in the way food is produced in Europe, from the field to the plate, reinforcing European competitiveness and excellence in the area."